Holoholo: Akule fishing from the Yak

Grant Taura has has enjoyed fishing throughout his entire life. He’s tried free diving, shoreline whipping, plugging and bait casting and has never really been passionate about any type of fishing until he found his passion in kayak fishing. It’s the hunting and not waiting;  it’s also the consistency and versatility of fishing on a kayak that he has found fulfilling. And finally being able to provide fresh fish for his family and friends completes kayak fishing for him.

Grant: What started as Akule fishing in the early morning on the kayak for bait just in case I couldn’t catch Opelu at sunrise for Pelagics, has turned into targeting Akule intentionally.  Growing up, we would go Waimea Bay and whip for halalu in the huge schools, and use telescopic poles to catch Akule in Haleiwa Boat Harbor. Halalu fishing back in the early 80’s, as I remember was an intense, fun and adrenaline-rush all in one experience. Memories: Had my line cut by an older, experienced halalu fisherman because I had not casted straight and had not timed my cast properly. Hooking up to a halalu using Aqua strips that came in a block. Watching the the strikes on bait casting rods using halalu -Kawakawa and big Omilus were landed.

Fast forward to 2018. I learned that Akule was not only a summer time fish but available all year round. My good friend, Davis Nakashima, from the Big Island, would take me fishing for Akule for bait off the cliff in Kona. This is when I also realized that they were all not just in one school in the harbor.  Over the past year, I’ve learned that Akule is a good choice of live bait for Pelagics as a back up to opelu. Although I haven’t taken any major strikes or landed anything with the Akule it has become one of my favorite target fish to eat simply for the consumption. Akule has been for many years, my all time favorite fried fish to eat. Fortunately with some help, I’ve learned to catch Opelu as my primary live bait and have been blessed with an abundance of Akule to eat and to share with family and friends who also love fried Akule. 

Over the years, listening to people and friends who fish on boats, shoreline and now kayaks, I realize the best time to go out and catch Akule is anytime the wind, swell, waves etc allow you to. Any given night or early morning when the conditions are safe is a good time to Akule fish. As long as you can find them, the possibility of you bringing up an Akule for bait or consumption is pretty high. I’ve heard so many stories of the best times to go. When there is a new moon, 3-4 days before or after the new moon, when the moon sets, etc. Although some of it or all of it is true, I found the best time for me to go is when I’m available and the weather conditions are right. As much as I love the hunt, fight and landing of Pelagics, I also find equal and a lot of times more gratification catching Akule. Not only for the sport but for the nostalgia of it. Let’s not forget how good it tastes.  Over the past year, I have found myself once again in the hunt for Akule.

Fishing off a kayak is another way I have come to enjoy targeting Akule. This time around it’s even more gratifying because the result of whether you catch or not is dependent on the preparation that goes into fishing off a kayak. Prior to even getting out on the water, the preparation of your equipment is key. Prior to launching, the rigs that I set up consists of two different types of Damashi, namely flies and grubs. I currently take 3 set ups.. Two set ups I bring consists of two different Kakele (fly) that some really good hammah fisherman were gracious enough to share, and one set up is the basic gold hook, red bead and grub. I have five hooks per rig. I keep them in ziplock bags, ready to be changed out quickly. I like to make things simple, because I don’t like to waste time on the water and the main reason why is I’m 51 and everything is blurry so it’s almost impossible to tie things while the kayak is rocking and bobbing. What makes it even harder is being in the dark with only your headlamp for lighting. The use of electronics is essential for safety, navigation and finding your target species. It’s important to have some sort of navigation light on your kayak so boaters can see you, VHF radio, PFD and whistle would be the minimum safety equipment to have on your kayak. With that being said, it’s a good idea to charge batteries and double checking your equipment function. After a few mishaps I almost always test all my electronics at home and prior to launching.

Once on the water the hunt begins. Starting in the shallower depths around 50ft my eyes are focused on looking for colors on my fish finder screen. I tend to stay away from dropping my Damashi to the very bottom as Akule tend to be in the mid to upper column of water. I have caught on the bottom and I’m always excited to catching one off the bottom because it’s not expected. Sometimes I’ll test the very bottom if I can’t find them, the bite is extremely slow or I think it’s Menpachi, which is another favorite. Never disappointed to land reds as we like to call them. Being aware of any changing conditions surrounding you is also really important. Things we look out for is if the wind is picking up, swell sizes, if the current changes direction , the current strengthens  etc., When fishing in the dark you barely can see 5-10 feet in front of you especially if you’re fishing a new moon or if the moon sets.

Recently we encountered whale sightings, well I shouldn’t say sightings because we couldn’t see them. Based on past experience you can kind of tell if they are far or near. I base this upon seeing them during the day and hearing them spout and listening to how loud it is when they do this behavior. On one of those outings we were in about 100ft of water and we heard the whale spout. We had three of us out that night. I was more inland and one of my partners was about 50 yards away. As I looked out to where he was, it was pitch black because it was a new moon. I could only see his head lamp. We heard the spout again and determined that the whale was really close based on my partner and my location. He heard the spout come from inland and I heard it come outside of where I was at. At that point we decided to move. We had to move quite a ways before the spout came more distant. I failed to mention that we could also hear clearly the whale slapping its fin or tail. That was way too close for comfort. The bite had come to a halt at that point. We are not sure, but concluded that the whale had something to do with it. We went more inshore, caught Akule here and there but nothing compared to the bite before the whale or whales showed up. I always remind myself that we are the visitors to the ocean and to always, always respect their home as we would want them to respect ours, to give back, take only what we consume and be grateful for the opportunity to share. 

Here is a short video of what akulu fishing at night on a kayak looks like.